a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements to the structure of the sunshade assemblies of the type comprising an off-set stand.
In the following disclosure and claims, reference will be made to sunshade covering and sunshade assemblies exclusively. However, the invention is not restricted to sunshades exclusively and should actually be interpreted as encompassing any kind of umbrellas that can be used outdoors for protecting against sun and/or rain.
b) Brief Description of the Invention
Sunshade assemblies of the type mentioned hereinabove are well known in the art and some of them available on the market. In this connection, reference can be made to U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,238 of 1964; German laid-open application No. 3,229,776 published in 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,525 of 1986 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,523 of 1987, all of which are in the name of GLATZ A.G.
Such an assembly basically comprise a vertical stand that is held by a loaded base or is anchored to a supporting structure. It also comprises a supporting arm that extends radially from the stand. This supporting arm has a free end distant from the stand, to which a sunshade covering of conventional structure is connected.
As compared to the more conventional sunshade assembly provided with a centrally extending post, the sunshade assembly incorporating an off-set stand has the advantage of providing an unobstructed free space under the sunshade covering. However, it has the disadvantage of being rather cumbersome to install and move, because the stand which holds this sunshade covering in a cantilever fashion, must necessarily be rigidly affixed to the ground or any other supporting structure. As a matter of fact, when such an assembly is installed, it is almost impossible to move the sunshade covering mounted onto the supporting arm rigidly connected to the stand from one angular position to another one relative to the stand, so as to adjust the position of the sunshade covering to the position of the sun and/or the user's requirement.